Grain-door for cars.



I J. ARCHER. GRAIN DOOR FOR GARE.

APPLICATION TILED SEPT. 12, 1910.

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LARGHER. GRAIN DOOR FOR GARS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT.12, 191a. Patented Jan. 1.0 191.1 I

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J. ARCHER GRAIN DOOR FOR (JARS. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 12', 1910.

Patented-Jan. 10,1911.

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w v Q i i v I aflozmtao JAMES ARCHER, OF ST. THOMAS, NORTH DAKOTA.

GRAIN-DOOR FOR GAB-S.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 10, 1911.

Application filed September 12, 1910. Serial No. 581,499.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JAMES ARCHER, a citizen of the United States, residing at St. Thomas, in the county of Pembina and State of North Dakota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Grain-Doors for Cars; and 1 do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in grain doors for cars.

One object of the invention is to provide an improved construction of door formed in a plurality of sections or members adapted to be retracted and folded together in the operation of opening and closing the door and for the purpose of swinging the latter to an out of the way position.

Another object is to provide an improved means for retracting and expanding the door sections.

With these and other objects in View, the invention consists of certain novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts as will 'be more fully described and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a side view of a portion of the outside of a car showing my improved door applied thereto and illustrating the door in closed and fastened position; Fig. 2 is a similar view of the inner side of the car and door; Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing the sections of the door in a retracted or released position, Fig. 1 is a view similar to Fig. 2 showing the parts in a retracted or unfastened position; Fig. 5 is an enlarged horizontal sectional view taken on the line 55 of Fig. 1; Fig. 6 is a vertical sectional view showing the upper section of the door swung down upon the lower section; Fig. 7 is a similar view showing the upper section of the door swung down or back upon the lower section and both of said sections raised and swung back to an out of the way position beneath the ceiling of the car.

My improved door is formed in lower and upper sections 1 and 2 each of which comprises plates or members 1 which are adapted to be retracted and expanded for the purpose of releasing or fastening the door in the manner hereinafter described.

The lower section 1 of the door is formed in two members or plates 3 on the inner edges of which are secured extension plates 1, said plates being arranged on the opposite sides of the members 3 of the door whereby the crack or space between the inner edges of the door members will be covered on both sides of the door. The outer edges of the adjacent members of the door sections are slidably engaged with guide strips 5 secured to the opposite sides of the door jamb on the inner side of the car as shown. On the inner side of the door are arranged a series of brace bars 6 one end of each alternate bar being secured to the opposite members of the door sections 1, while the free ends of the bars thus secured are adapted to slidably engage keepers 7 secured to the inner sides of the door members between the fixed ends of the doors as shown. By thus constructing and arranging the members of door, said members may be retracted to disengage their outer edges from beneath the guide strips 5 and to clear said edgesof the door jambs thus permitting the door to be readily swung inwardly or outwardly upon suitablesupports as hereinafter described.

In order to expand and retract the members of the door sections 1, I provide a suitable door operating mechanism comprising pairs of toggle levers 8 which are pivotally connected at their outer ends to the inner sides of the door members and at their inner ends are pivotally connected to a vertically disposed connecting and operating bar 9 to which is connected an operating lever 10 pivoted midway between its ends to the inner side of one of the door members 3 whereby when said lever is swung upwardly or downwardly, the toggle levers 8 will be swung up and down by the connecting bar 9 thereby drawing the members of the door sections 1' together, thus clearing the outer edges of the same from the door jamb or guide strips 5 as hereinbefore described. When the lever 10 is swung in the opposite direction to straighten out the toggle levers 8 the members of the door sections will be expanded to again bring their outer edges into engagement with the guide strips and door jamb.

The upper section 2 of the door comprises two members 11 having on their inner edges overlapping guard plates 12 which correspond to and operate in the same manner as the plates a of the lower section 1 of the o as door. The members 11 of the section 2 are i also provided on their inner sides with bracing bars 13 arranged thereon and adapted to be'engaged with members 14: in the same manner as described in connection with the brace bars 6 of the lower door section. On the outer side of the members 11 of the upper door section are pivotally connected at their outer ends toggle levers 13, the inner ends of which are pivotallyconnected to an operating bar 14 to which is also connected the inner end of an operating lever 15, said lever being pivoted to the door and adapted to operate in the same manner as described in connection with the lever 10 of the door section 1.

The upper section 2 of the door is hingedly connected to the lower section by specially constructed hinges 16 one member of which is in the form of an attaching plate 17 adapted to be fastened in any suitable manner to the inner side of the door section 1 near its upper end, said plate 17 having formed on its, opposite end pairs of apertured lugs 18 which are spaced apart and have engaged therewith the opposite ends of pivot rods 01' pintles 19 with which are pivotally and slidably engaged with the eye members 20 of the hinges, said eye members being secured to the inner sides of the members ll of the door section 2. By thus hingedly connecting the upper section 2 of the door with the lower section, the members of said upper and lower section may be readily retracted or expanded without interfering with the hinged connection thereof to permit the outer edges of the members of the section being disengaged from the guide strips 5 and sides of the door jamb whereby said upper section 2 may be readily swung back upon the lower section to provide a greater open space above said lower section, while the car is being filled and to permit the door to be shortened, thus enabling the same to be raised and swung upwardly beneath the ceiling of the car in the manner hereinafter described.

On the inner side of the car adjacent to the edges or sides of the door jamb are vertically disposed guiding and supporting rods 21, the upper ends of which are bent downwardly to form hinge loops 22. Connected to the'inner side of the lower section 1 of the door adjacent to its upper edge and near the opposite ends thereof are combined guide and hinge loops 23, the inner ends of which have a swiveled connection with the inner side of the members 3 of the door section 1 as shown. The outer portion of the loops 23 have a sliding engagement with the guide rods 21 whereby the door sections may be raised. By providing the loops 28 the con nectionthereof with the rods 21 will not interfere with the lateral expanding or re tracting of the members 3 of the door section. By providing the swiveled connection between said loops and the members of the door section the latter will be permitted to swing freely inwardly or outwardly after being retracted to disengage the edges thereof from the door jamb or guide strips.

\Vhen it is desired to open the door to its greatest extent and to swing the same upwardly to an out of the way position beneath the ceiling of the car, the members of the door sections are first retracted to disengage the edges thereof from the edges of the door jamb and guide strip after which the upper section 2 of the door is swung rearwardly and downwardly upon the lower section whereupon said sections of the door may be raised until the loops 23 come into engagement with the hinged loops 22 on the upper ends of the guide rods 21 whereupon the door will be supported in an open position and may be readily swung back beneath the ceiling of the car and into engagement with a suitable catch for holding the door up in this position.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, the construction and operation of the invention will be readily understood without requiring a more extended explanation.

Various changes in the form, proportion and the minor details of construction. may be resorted to without departing from the principle or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

l. A grain door for cars comprising upper and lower sections each of which is formed in adjustably connected laterally expansible members, a sliding hinge connection between said upper and lower door sections whereby either one of the latter is adapted to be expanded or retracted independently of the other, means to expand and retract said sections whereby the outer edges thereof are brought into and out of operative engagement with the sides of the door jamb, and means whereby said door sections are raised and supported in an out of the way position.

2. A grain door of the character described, comprising upper and lower sections each of which is formed in laterally adjustable members adapted to be expanded and retracted into and out of engagement with the opposite sides of the door jamb, guide strips secured to said side of the door jamb and adapted to receive the edges of the door.

sections, a sliding hinge connection between said sections of the door, aseries of b ace bars aranged on one side of said door sections, the opposite end of each alternate bar being secured to the door members, keepers adapted to slidably support the opposite ends of said brace bars, means to retract the members of the door sections whereby said sections may be swung inwardly or outwardly between the jambs of the door, a pair of guiding and supporting rods arranged on opposite sides of the door frame and supporting loops having a sliding engagement with said guide rods and a swiveled connection at their inner ends to the lower section of the door whereby said sections may be raised and swung inwardly or outwardly.

3. A grain door for cars formed in upper and lower adjustably hinged sections, said sections comprising laterally adjustable members, adapted to be engaged with the opposite edges of the door amb to fasten the door in closed position, a series of bracing bars secured to one side of said sections of the door, a series of keepers arranged on the inner side of said door members between the fixed ends of the brace bars and adapted to receive the free ends of the latter whereby the door members are adjustably connected together, a series of toggle levers pivotally connected at their outer ends to the members of the door sections, connecting and operating bars pivotally connected to the inner ends of said toggle levers, operating levers pivotally connected to the inner side of the door sections and to said lever connecting and operating bars whereby said toggle levers may be actuated to expand and retract the door members into fastened and released position.

4. A grain door for cars formed in upper and lower adjustably hinged sections, said sections comprising laterally adjustable members adapted to be engaged with the opposite edges of the door jamb to fasten the door in closed position, a series of bracing bars secured to one side of said sections of the door, a series of keepers arranged on the inner ends of said door members between the fixedends of the brace bars and adapted to receive the free ends of the latter whereby the door members are adjustably connected together, means to expand and retract the door members into fastened and released positions, guide strips arranged on the opposite sides of the door frame to receive the outer edges of said door sections, guiding and supporting rods secured to the innell side of the car adjacent to the opposite sides of the door frame, said rods having formed therein hinge loops, door supporting loops having a swiveled connection at their inner ends to the lower sections of the door near its upper edge and having a sliding engagement with said guiding and supporting loops, said loops being adapted to engage the hinge loops at the upper ends of the rods when the door is raised whereby the same may be swung to an out of the way position beneath the ceiling of the car.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JAMES ARCHER.

Witnesses:

A. L. MILLER, PATRICK KEELEY. 

